In it settlement 50 meters from the Bella Italia neighborhood there is a “wolf’s mouth”. There are several blocks that are totally dark, with the reflection of light from a house, as happens in many others. Montevideo settlements. Some neighbors even made their own public lighting, with a mercury light (the yellow ones) that they placed at a low height in half a block.
Photo: Leonardo Carreno.
Street in settlement 50 meters
In the neighborhood some neighbors saw a crew that worked a few days ago and they went to ask them what they were going to do; Others do not know what these works are for or if these streets are going to be illuminated, but they think it is the best “So they don’t rob you at night,” said a neighbor. The plan for that area is to install 51 new poles.
Photo: Leonardo Carreno.
Street in settlement 50 meters without lighting
In the dark blocks a neighbor showed the wells that the Mayor left a few days ago where the columns will be placed for the LED lighting that will reach that area. “They came on a Friday, they said they were coming to put up the columns on Monday and they didn’t come,” he said. The presence of the IM gang in the area generated enthusiasm, some thought that they were going to fix the streets, but all the residents agree that lighting is going to be a favorable change, especially to improve security in the settlement.
The plan of the Municipality of Montevideo (IM) is to illuminate all the settlements of the capital with 4,500 new lights, even the passages where until now there is no light. “A neighbor told my son that they were going to light up. In this block, we have no problem with security, the problem is down there,” another neighbor commented, referring to the streets that are totally dark.
The IM summoned the municipalities and the neighborhood councilors, who in turn, met with the residents of each area of Montevideo to agree, on maps, where the new poles with LED lighting will be, according to the Neighborhood councilor Jorge Medina. The director of Urban Development of the IM, Martín Delgado, remarked in conversation with The Observer that he process for the settlements “was done with contributions” from the neighbors.
He Mayor of Municipality F, Juan Pedro Lópezwho toured the settlement with The Observer, remarked that “who does the work” is the municipality. The IM pays the municipal staff for overtime and also distributes the led light bulbs to the municipal offices.
However, During the visit, López found out about the new luminaires that will be placed, because he had not seen the wells, nor had the IM informed him that new poles will be placed. The same situation narrated the Mayor of the National Party Mercedes Ruíz, of Municipality E. “It may be that the Public Lighting Technical Unit (Utap) is doing it and does not notify us. All this is being a bit political,” he said and added: “Half of the things are hidden from you. They informed me that they were going to do something called Montevideo lights up, but specifically I have no idea about the new columns”. What the municipalities did (and some are still doing) was to replace the mercury lights that already existed with new white led lights.
Photo: Leonardo Carreno.
Street in settlement 50 meters
“The four thousand lights – for the settlements – are poles with new lights. LED technology will be the same for the entire city. It is a very important spatial justice and social justice action”Delgado said.
In the rest of the streets of the settlement 50 meters away the lighting is uneven. In some, Municipality F has already changed the mercury luminaires for the led lights that the IM granted them, in others, there is only one LED spotlight that illuminates a specific area and the rest of the street is still completely dark. But, there is also a problem with the trees. A neighbor on the block who has a single column of light said that he has cut down trees so that the focus is free. The same problem was raised by the mayor of Municipality A, Juan Carlos Plachot, who said that the IM was asked to cut down trees in Casabó. In that neighborhood, in the Nuevo Amanecer settlement, work also began to place lights where there are none.
Controversy over the installation
The issue of who places the lights even generated a cross between the mayor of the CH Municipality, Matilde Antía, and the former mayor Christian Di Candia, who was in charge of the IM when the led lights were purchased.
A Twitter user posted a photo of a luminaire replacement and acknowledged the “impeccable management” of the IMM. Antía responded: “both the replacement of the led luminaires and the cleaning of streets in secondary roads are the responsibility of the municipalities.” The former mayor responded to the white mayoress that “he is happy” that she defends the placement of the led luminaires “that we bought and defended so much,” she wrote.
